One Night Only (United States, 2026)

If one were to take The Purge, Before Sunrise, and After Hours and throw them into a blender, the result might look something like One Night Only, a hybrid dark comedy/rom-com that never goes quite as far as it should but ends up being likable nonetheless. The film's shortcomings are easily overlooked thanks to its frenetic energy and the bankable chemistry between leads Callum Turner and Monica Barbaro. There are a few solid laughs, some clever material related to advertising's appropriation of pop songs, some truly bizarre set pieces, and the requisite romantic elements.

It has probably been a good thirty years since I've seen something like this in a theater, and watching One Night Only, I was reminded how much I miss this sort of unpretentious offering. It isn't swinging for the fences, nor is it trying to be a blockbuster. Director Will Gluck (who rewrote Travis Braun's screenplay) can be criticized for making a sex comedy that is far too puritanical about sex, but most of the character beats with Owen (Turner) and Allie (Barbaro) are on-target.

The premise seemingly owes a debt to The Purge, in which an extreme right-wing government permits one annual night of permissiveness to let people blow off steam and remain more biddable for the other 364 days. In this case, "The Mandate" maintains that only married people are allowed to have sex. At age eighteen, everyone receives a tattoo with a biological sensor that allows Big Brother to monitor sexual activity. Any unmarried individual caught having sex is subject to arrest and prosecution. (Yes, there are plot holes big enough to fly a 747 through, not the least of which is the question of underage sex.) However, for a twelve-hour period starting on the night of August 7, The Mandate is lifted, and single people are free to do whatever they want with whomever they want—as long as they use protection.

Owen plans to use the latest Mandate Night as an opportunity to propose to his girlfriend, Malika (Maya Hawke), but she blindsides him by announcing she wants to sleep with another tenant in their apartment building. Consequently, he ends up wandering the streets of New York, halfheartedly trying to find a willing partner (and a condom). Meanwhile, Allie approaches the night with a mixture of disinterest and dread. She isn't a one-night-stand kind of woman and, unlike her best friend, Skye (Julia Fox), she wants more from an encounter than no-strings sex. So, mirroring Owen, she also ends up wandering the streets of New York, halfheartedly trying to find a willing partner (and a condom). It stands to reason that these two will meet, and they do—a half-dozen times, in fact. Yet circumstances pull them apart just as often as they push them together.

Although Martin Scorsese's criminally underseen After Hours explored a similar premise—a man enduring a cascade of weird encounters while wandering the nighttime streets of New York—One Night Only waters down this aspect of the narrative. Additionally, the central conceit of Before Sunrise—two would-be lovers connecting during an unforgettable night—is modified here by keeping the characters apart as much as they are together. Both of those earlier films appear to have been incorporated into this movie's DNA, but with enough alterations to give One Night Only its own distinct identity.

Turner and Barbaro are great together. He possesses a relaxed, easygoing presence, while she is feisty and energetic. (I kept wondering how she managed to keep that revealing blouse in place without actually showing anything, but I suppose that's a costume designer's trick.) They keep us invested, especially when sharing the screen. The supporting cast is eclectic, featuring Molly Ringwald and LeVar Burton playing lovers, alongside Maya Hawke, who provides a surprisingly tangible link to both The Purge and Before Sunrise (both of which starred her father, Ethan). The film is also peppered with cameos from the likes of Pete Davidson, Bobby Cannavale, and Este Haim.

I can see where criticisms might arise. The world-building is undeniably half-assed. The romantic comedy elements suffer slightly from keeping the central duo apart for too long, and the dark comedy needs to commit more fully to its edge. These are legitimate flaws, but none of them derail the production as a whole. Ultimately, the film works because we actively root for these two characters to become a couple—the ultimate goal of any true rom-com—and the parallelism of their misadventures is frequently amusing and sometimes genuinely funny. Best of all, One Night Only doesn't feel like every other movie I've sat through over the last few years, which, in and of itself, is something to applaud.

One Night Only (United States, 2026)